Huntsville gazette., 1887-05-14

the broad fireplace, for we had taken
the precaution to provide ourselves
with matches.
My nlountaineer kept close beside
me during all these operations. Indeed,
he did not once allow me to get be-
yond the reach of his hand.
laughed to myself no little over his
somewhat ludicrous appearance and
openly rallied him several times in re-
gard to his foolish fears and supersti.
tions. But moment later turned al
most faint with horror as the fire. blaz-
ing up, showed me pool of blood di-
rectly beside mel
1t was of considerable size, and
freshly spilled. A cold shiver passed
over me, and I felt my heart sink,
if not literally down to my boots,
then very near to them, in my magma
ton.
As l was sitting directly between the
horrible spot and my companion he did
not see it, and with feeling of dey out
thankfulness managed, without excit-
ing his suspicious, to cover it up with
portion of the leaves we had piled near
the hearth.
AS we were dispatching the remains
OF our dinner my companion, not with
out considerable nervousness, however,
and a white, scared face with lips that
scarcely pronounced the words above a
whisper, related to me in full the hor-
rible story of the drink-maddened man
who in moment of frenzy had mur-
dered his loving wife and innocent little
baby.
BY this time the night had fairly set,
tied down upon us, and the darkness,
save where the dim glow of the fra
rested, was impenetrable. The thick
shadows envcloped us even where wa
sat, for, the fuel being poor, we had
continually to coax our fire to burn,
and were often without even q pre-
tense of blaze.
Suddenly just as my companion
was describing to me the terrible head
long rush with which the frenzied Hig-
gins had sprung upon his crouching
wife-there came piercing through the
thick wall of darkness behind us the
startlingly distinct sound of a heavy
body rushing through space, and the
instant after the same sound repeated,
each in turn followed by a dull thud
and then the noise of heavy, uncertain
footsteps.
With hoarse cry my companion
sprang suddenly upward, but fell again
to his knees. While clasping his aims
convulsively, yet tightly, about my
body, he fixed his eyes upon me in one
long, appealing. despairing gaze.
l had just placed my hand upon his
shoulder to reassure him, and was
opening my lips to speak when there
came a terrific crash, followed by total
darkness, while something cold and
wet was dashed into our faces and fell
all about us. The next moment
woman's terrible cry, mingled with
baby's frightened scream, rang
through the cabin.
With another cry, almost as blood
curdling, my mountaineer sprang up,
and, ere l could divine his intention,
dashed madly through the door and
into the raging storm without.
1t was truly moment of horror, and
my first impulse was to follow my
wildly-feeing companion. But the
next moment l realized the utter mad
ness of facing such a storm in impene-
trable darkness on precipitous noun
tain side.
Feeling for my revolver grasped it
firmly in one hand and CROPPED my way
to the fireplace with the other.
1t was banked with snow!
Inext felt for match in order to
strike light, and realized with horror
that the last one in our possession had
been used to start the fire. The terri
BILE screams now had momentarily in
creased, intermingled with low moans
and mysterious footsteps.
Suddenly became aware that sCme-
thing or some one was stealthily ap-
preaching the Fireplace where | stood.
The next moment two burning eyes,
apparently fixed upon me, glowed
through the darkness. That it was a
critical moment | felt in every vein
and fiber. Quick as thought l raised
my revolver, took deliberate aim, and
fired.
There was sharp report, binding
flash, human cry of agony, wo-
mans blood-curdling shrek again.
few low, pitiful means, then all was
still for an instant or so.
The next moment there was q rush
of footsteps, hoarse, maddened cries
once more the sound of a heavy body
passing through space. Again silence,
and then the same low moans, inter-
mingled with heavy sobs of pain.
Cropping my way to the corner
of the cabin at the right of the
fire. place. climbed, by means of the
chinks between the logs, rs quickly as
the darkness and my own safety would
allow, to long shelf had previously
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